#shieldprison

@shieldprison​

It had been a bit weird. She definitely didn’t remember actually making her order, but it was good, and it had been pretty close to what she was going to order anyway. It was definitely weird, but she hadn’t really put much thought into it until a bit later when she’d headed to the family home to drop some extra things off. She thought her father had said something, but when she asked, he’d looked genuinely confused and answered no. 

On the way home, it got more apparently that something was wrong. She was definitely hearing people talking but..no one’s mouth was actually moving. A few things here and there, snippets as people passed by, but as she reached the busy intersection, it grew to an unbearable volume. The voices were louder, coupled with people actually talking. 

People smiling to another’s face, but thinking something completely different that didn’t match what they were saying. Embarrassing thoughts from overly loving couples. Suddenly, it felt hard to breathe. She couldn’t think, there was no space in her head for her own thoughts, her own voice drowned out amidst the swarm. 

The moment the signal changed, she bolted, as fast as her legs would carry her. She didn’t have a destination in mind, not consciously. She just knew she needed to get away, somewhere that was bound to be void of people. Somewhere quiet. Home would probably be a good idea--but the dojo was definitely out of the question. 

She just needed somewhere quiet to get her thoughts in order, to figure out a solution or what even was going on. This definitely wasn’t a power she’d had before today--this was new, but with all the static bouncing around in her head, she couldn’t concentrate. That just made her frustrated. 

But then...finally, she couldn’t hear it anymore, the countless voices of people in the city going about their day. Her legs stopped moving and she fell to her knees, her head clutched in her hands. She shut her eyes tight, forcing herself to breathe deeply, to calm herself down.

@shieldprison

“This… doesn’t look familiar at all.” Subaru’s eyes darted around his surroundings, searching for anything at all that he could recognize. Nothing stood out, and the fact that night had descended upon the city didn’t really help. He had wound up somewhere on the outskirts of the town. The dark warehouses looming ahead appeared to be abandoned, and the gate surrounding it was covered in rust, and squeaked as the gentle night wind pushed against it. No signs of life anywhere, save for Subaru and the little gray cat he was clutching to his chest. The simple find-the-nice-lady’s-lost-cat task had gone horribly awry at some point. He’d secured the cat, but it didn’t really matter if he was now lost as well.

@shieldprison

The abandoned warehouse district oversaw abundant criminal activity. Indeed, the dark recesses of the large, empty buildings made for the perfect hideaways and meet-up points for the degenerates of society. Dimly lit streets, scarcely patrolled, under cover of the dark night sky made the area ideal for slipping in and out undetected. That Kaname Date, someone with Scepter 4, was here was, itself, a rare sight to the low-life denizens of the area. Most of the people here were wont to keep their heads down in the presence of people affiliated with Scepter 4, clearly marked by their uniforms, and hence, unsurprisingly, he met little resistance as he headed deeper into the area, straight towards one of the looming warehouse buildings.

His business here was the large, menacing Sword of Damocles which had appeared over the area earlier that night. That sword indicated the presence of a King… but the aura that had accompanied it had been wholly unfamiliar. That was the description Date had received of the incident before being sent to find out what was going on. The only details he’d gotten when he asked were that the aura had “some kind of unnatural red electricity”, and it had been spotted somewhere in this district.

As of this moment, quiet had descended upon these outskirts of the city, save for the faint whistling of the wind and the creaking of a distant gate. The premises appeared absolutely deserted, possibly as a result of the clash that had occurred earlier.

Date came to an abrupt halt as he came upon a large, dark splatter across the pavement. He knew immediately what it was, that it was nothing good…

“Aiba, is that…?”

Blood, his partner responded in a muted voice.

A lot of blood had been spilled here, coated a large portion of the area with its dark, almost rust-colored hue. There was no fathomable way whoever sustained such injuries had survived, but…

“Where’s the body?” More than likely, he supposed it had been disposed of. It certainly wasn’t the first time someone had been killed out here.

Still, even though the sight brought a chill to his spine, he wasn’t out here to investigate whoever’s murder this was. Well, there was a chance it was somewhat related to his purpose for being out here. Right now, he needed to find and ascertain the identity of whichever King had been responsible for the grim Sword which had appeared here. Slowly, alert to any possible signs of danger, he continued further into the area, searching for anything else unusual that might be a clue.

Then, behind him, he could make out the sound of footsteps.

@shieldprison​

Carefully, Shizuku packed a few dishes into a bento, mostly leftovers from dinner. Now that she knew how her King lived, she wanted to at least make sure he was eating properly. Curry and cup noodles were fine, but he still needed some proper dishes in his diet too. Otto had also raised a good point, even if it had only been his own curiosity, but perhaps now that she’d earned Naofumi’s trust, it would work out. 

She hadn’t quite gotten used to knowing his name yet. He’d tried to tell her before, but his affliction must have obscured it. Even so! He ought to know her name by now! Since she had planned on visiting anyway, it was time to give him a piece of her mind! 

She placed the bento in a bag beside the envelope containing the shop money, and once she’d double checked to make sure she had everything, she left. After all, she could decide her days off when she wanted, right? She followed the now familiar route to the warehouse, feeling strange that the last time she’d been here had been such a mess. But she liked to think at least some progress had been made. 

Glancing around to be sure no one was watching, she easily slipped into the warehouse and shut the door behind her. Hm..should she give him a little surprise? “Naofumi-kun, are you here?” 

@shieldprison

Usually, Maruki wouldn’t be out so late. After all, he had to be at his office to meet with patients who sought fit to schedule appointments with him earlier in the day due to various time restrictions they had, and Maruki was glad to fit himself to their schedules. Today, however, he wanted to expand his horizons. This city was massive, and he hadn’t seen much of it.

He probably should’ve charged his phone before leaving, since an online map of the area would’ve helped him out now. He wasn’t sure exactly how long he’d been wandering the streets, but it had been long enough that the sun had fully set, and a few wrong turns had already scrambled his sense of position in the city.

It definitely didn’t help that this part of the city was clearly rundown and neglected, and any street signs he might’ve seen were decrepit, had graffiti on them, or were just otherwise illegible, and the lack of lighting to illuminate his surroundings didn’t help. Even the sky itself seemed dark as the light pollution from the main city blotted out the stars.

It was just a bit unsettling, to say the least.

The sound of footsteps coming from up ahead gave Maruki as much anxiety as it did hope. Maybe this person would know the way back to the main city, or maybe he would get robbed. Well, even if it was the latter, it wasn’t like Maruki had much to take to begin with. But as the footsteps grew a bit closer, Maruki could make out the shape of a man who walked with a certain conviction that gave him the appearance of someone who knew the area well. So that was definitely going to be Maruki’s best bet if he wanted to get home before sunrise.

A very good boy will be reserved for you until 6/2! If you need an extension, please let us know! 

Yuuka had fallen.

It wasn’t anything to do with her king abilities or even her powers as a strain. Instead it had been what she thought to be a random attack by numerous people. It must have been coordinated, though she couldn’t seem to figure out if there had been a real reason. It had been fast, too fast for her to react to properly to before being hit. She managed to activate her sanctum and defend herself 

Regardless of why, she lied on her back in the rain on her own, bruised from the beating she had taken. The world went black for only a few seconds, but she regained consciousness fairly quickly. What had it been, a few minutes at most? Now, someone just had to find her here and all would be well soon enough. That was good at least, wasn’t it? She couldn’t seem to move her body, as if her brain was refusing to communicate with her arms and legs. At least her skull was intact...or was it? She could’ve sworn she had been bleeding, and the blood that began to pool by her head was only proof of that. Was this how a King would go out? It was sad, really, but it was...alright. She’d done enough.